The Once and Future Love
by whatpassesformymind
Summary: Arthur died. Merlin saw it with his own eyes. Thousands of years later, the once and future king rises again. Merlin/Arthur
1. Prologue

Title: The Once and Future Love  
A/N: Written for a prompt on Tumblr, and dedicated to gigaku, creator of this plot bunny that ran wild in my head.

_I have loved you for a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more_

He was gone. Arthur, his Arthur, was gone. Merlin had failed.

Hundreds of years flickered past, images flashing by, but his pain never dulled. Merlin hurt. He had expected death to take him long ago, and Merlin would have gone willingly. It would have been a release from everything.

It took Merlin a long time to realise that he was aging. He went twenty, fifty, one hundred years at a time without looking in the mirror. When a middle aged face stared back at him he jumped in shock and dropped a jug.

It gave him a little more hope to think that he would die one day, even if that time was thousands of years in the future.

He wandered the country of Albion restlessly, waiting for the end.

The end never came. Merlin became ancient, with long white hair and a flowing beard – the form of Dragoon, of Emrys. But then the beard began to recede into his chin. His hair slowly darkened and became shorter, until one day he was a teenager with a mop of black hair.

Then, he met Arthur. Merlin started to live again.


	2. I

The football hit Merlin square in the chest. To be fair, there hadn't been a football pitch here two hundred years ago, at the time of his last visit. A young man who looked to be about Merlin's apparent age ran up, apologising. He had long dark hair, and a familiar grin.

Merlin ignored the fact that this man looked like Gwaine's identical twin. His mind like to play tricks on him, and hallucinations would be nothing new.

"Sorry mate! Might want to watch where you walk though eh?" Gwaine who was not Gwaine patted him on the shoulder forcefully. Merlin wasn't entirely sure how to respond. He didn't talk to people much, although his long years of observation probably meant that he could fit in quite well.

Another of the players approached, covered from head to toe in mud.

"Now Gwaine, you wouldn't be assaulting passing strangers would you?"

Gwaine who apparently was Gwaine - well, was called Gwaine at least - laughed. Merlin's head spun with the effort of remembering that this was not actually Gwaine. The mud man held out his hand. Merlin looked up at him.

"I'm-" he began.

"_Arthur,_" Merlin interrupted. Shock crossed Arthur's face - it must be Arthur, it had to be! _Take heart, for when Albion's need is greatest, Arthur will rise again._

"Yes, actually - how did you-"

Merlin ran. He felt like skipping, except he was certain only small children did that. Arthur was alive again, Arthur had returned!

He stopped suddenly.

_When Albion's need is greatest._

Something really bad was coming. Could it be Morgana, again? Mordred? Or a new threat?

He had to be there, to protect Arthur. He couldn't fail again. If he had to watch Arthur die this time, he would die with him.

Merlin's thoughts were all over the place, a mess of happiness and fear.

Breathe, he told himself. Now think. You look what, seventeen? Yes, seventeen. Seventeen year olds usually live with their parents now. He had seen them file into colleges, wherever he was in the country, go to part time jobs, and home to their parents.

He didn't have any parents. Balinor and Hunith were long gone. But he couldn't live on the streets. Arthur would be suspicious.

Merlin wanted to laugh and cry all at once. After centuries of nothingness, this was too much too fast. He hadn't spoken more than five words in ten years. He didn't know what to _do_.

A younger girl on a bike sped past, delivering papers. A leaflet flew out of her bag and landed at his feet.

_Flatmate wanted. Homophobes need not apply._

Underneath were further details. Two girls, and their flatmate had recently moved away. The price seemed reasonable - well, not that Merlin knew anything about rent in 2013.

He had to stop over thinking things. Stop mentally babbling, and take this one baby step at a time.

Although, he wasn't entirely sure that a flat was really a baby step.

* * *

A/N: I know this is short, but most chapters probably will be. Sorry!


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